Digging for profits: Who owns PH mines?
QUICK FACTS
Name of mining firm: Ore Asia Mining and Development Corp.
Location: Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan
Metals extracted/mine products: Iron ore
OWNERSHIP
Incorporation date: April 18, 2006
Stockholders:
Ong, James G.
Bulandi, Joannah C.
Ong, Anna Katrina S.
Bee, Go Young
Baldemor, Jocelyn V.
Chairperson of the Board: Ong, James G.
MINING REVENUE
Current assets: P23.55 million (2019)
Current liabilities: P160.31 million (2019)
Total revenue: Not specified but account receivables amounted to P19.713 million (2019)
Net income: -P1.45 million (2019)
MINE AUDIT FINDINGS (2016/2017)
PCIJ did not obtain access to the full audit report of Ore Asia’s operations. Related records and news reports showed that a suspension was initially ordered after the department verified complaints from residents that the company caused siltation in a river, which is a tributary of the Sibul spring.
STATUS OF RECOMMENDATIONS / COMPANY RESPONSE (AS OF MARCH 2022)
PCIJ sent a letter to the company on Feb. 14, 2022 and made follow-ups on March 2, 2022 and March 24, 2022. We have not received a response as of this writing.
STATUS OF OPERATIONS
In February 2017, then Environment Secretary Gina Lopez ordered the closure of Ore Asia Mining and Development Corp. and 22 other mines.
On Nov. 12, 2018, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources under Secretary Roy Cimatu denied the mineral production sharing agreement application of Ore Asia Mining and Development Corp.
COMMUNITY PROFILE
Municipality class of mining location: Dona Remedios Trinidad (1st class)
Population: 22,663 (2015)
Poverty incidence rate: 18.9% (2015)
Human Development Index: 0.74 (2012, provincial)
Indigenous peoples living within or near the mining location: Dumagat
Dona Remedios Trinidad is the biggest municipality in Bulacan in terms of land area. Of the town’s land area of 93,297.97 hectares, “reserve areas” accounted for 65%, including 43,728 hectares of the Angat Watershed Reservation, 9,032 hectares of the Bulacan Forest Reserve, 5,695 hectares of the San Miguel Forest Reserve, and 2,114 hectares of the Biak-na-Bato National Park.
IN THE NEWS
DENR suspends operations of iron ore mine in Bulacan
Three mining firms to be closed
Sources:
General Information Sheet, 2020
Financial Statement, 2019
List of existing Mineral Production Sharing Agreements, Mining and Geosciences Bureau
Philippine Metallic Mineral Production, Mines and Geosciences Bureau
Social Development and Management Program
Poverty and socioeconomic indicators, Philippines Statistics Authority
Copy of full Mine Audit Reports by company, 2016
Copy of Notices of Issuance of an Order, 2017
Copy of Orders of Cancellation and/or Suspension, 2017
Acronyms used:
RA (Republic Act)
IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations)
PD (Presidential Decree)
DAO (Department Administrative Order)
MPSA (Mineral Production Sharing Agreement)
SDMP (Social Development and Management Plan)
Disclaimer: The mine audit was conducted in 2016 after Regina “Gina” Paz Lopez assumed the post of environment secretary. The findings in the reports, which authorities sent to the mining firms in 2016, were likely addressed in the succeeding years following a review conducted by the Mining Industry Coordinating Council after the audit led by Lopez, who died in 2019. PCIJ has verified the reports and reached out to each company for comment. We suggest you also confirm findings included in the reports as some information may have changed over time.
The reports come from files that PCIJ has received in connection with various environmental investigations. We are releasing them in full, recognizing the public value of the files to mining communities, miners, policymakers, civil society and researchers.
Note: The Human Development Index is a measure of how well a country has performed, not only in terms of real income growth, but also in terms of social indicators that measure people's ability to lead a long and healthy life, acquire knowledge and skills, and have access to the resources needed to afford a decent standard of living. An HDI value below 0.550 is considered low and below 0.399 is very low. The national average for the Philippines is 0.718 as of 2020.
This article was produced with the support of Internews' Earth Journalism Network.
— PCIJ, March 2021